


Breaking and Entering

by chhharl



Category: Death Note
Genre: Breaking and Entering, M/M, Recreational Drug Use
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-14
Updated: 2016-08-14
Packaged: 2018-08-08 16:39:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7765258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chhharl/pseuds/chhharl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All they needed was a night to rest.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Breaking and Entering

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! This is a fic I've been working on for quite some time, so I hope you enjoy it! Comments and critiques are more than welcomed! Thanks!

Matt pushed his goggles up on his head to squint through the dark at the deadbolt lock in front of him. He was hunched over on the concrete step of a stranger’s home, the only light coming from the dim screen of Mello’s flip phone and the street light down the block. It was late. One or two o’clock in the morning maybe, he wasn’t sure. Their days had started to run together. Or at least Matt’s had. The cool, March night had started to produce a misty rain that started to drip down the back of his neck. He sighed, taking the pick out of the lock. Matt felt Mello move closer behind him.

“Problems?” 

Matt turned slightly and held up his swiss army knife-style lock picking set to the light of the phone. He pushed in the one he’d been using and searched for the next size up. The pick set had been a Christmas gift when he was 10. He’d only ever used it to break into the kitchen or the TV room in the middle of the night.

“I’m just not sure if this has the ability to break into a house, is all. I mean it was a cheap Christmas present.” Matt found the pick he was looking for and turned back to the door. Mello scoffed,

“I got you that, you fucker.” 

Matt smirked. He was starting to feel pressured. He knew that Mello’s stress levels were running higher than normal. Sleeping in a car for a week and a half will do that to a person. Matt had a developed a constant crick in his neck and Mello got angry every morning for having to take a “whore bath” in gas station restrooms. It was by chance that Matt drove by a family packing up their Escalade outside a huge house in the suburbs while Mello napped in the back. He didn’t necessarily condone breaking and entering, but this was just for one night. They just needed to relax and come up with a plan. That’s what tonight was about.

With a final turn and a click, the door was unlocked. Matt breathed loudly in relief, his muscles relaxing. He stood up and pocketed his pick set and grabbed his backpack off the concrete next to him. Matt barely got the door open when his companion shoved beside him to go inside first. He wasn’t sure if Mello was even aware he did things like that. Matt glanced behind them, up and down the street, to make sure no one saw them going on. Not a single light was on in any of the surrounding houses. He turned and followed Mello into the house, shutting the door carefully. He took off his worn, leather gloves and groped around the wall until he found a light switch.

The room suddenly flooded with light, revealing the huge dining area, living room, and the doorway leading to the kitchen. Matt set his bag down, his eyebrows raising. Mello gave a low whistle and nudged him with his arm.

“Not bad, Mattie.” he said, sounding impressed, as if Matt had built the house himself. Matt just nodded in response and started toward the living room when Mello caught him by the ear. 

“Ow, shit! What was that for?” Matt pulled Mello’s hand away from him and rubbed his ear, shooting the other a dirty look. Mello leaned back against a wall and started unlacing his boots, his blonde hair curtaining his face.

“Take off your filthy shoes,” his voice echoed against the high ceilings. “You can’t just go tromping around a stranger's house leaving literal tracks. Jesus. Use your head.” 

Matt looked down at his grey Vans. They were dirty. He’d had them since they left Whammy’s. They were about a size too small, and one of his pinky toes had started to peek through a wear in the side. He used the side of his foot to slip out of the back of the shoes, also removing his socks after getting a look from Mello. 

“I’m taking a shower,” Mello announced, grabbing the backpack and leaving Matt at the door. “You should join me.” 

Matt wanted to snoop around a little, but he supposed it could wait. Matt knew better than to turn down an offer of affection from Mello. He followed the Mello, who walked around the house like he’d lived there his whole life. He lead them straight past the spiral staircase and down a hall. He was always the one to head straight toward the end goal and forgot the pieces in between. Matt was a little more aware of their surroundings. The house smelled clean, and like fresh linen. Not the chemical spray you got from a can, but actual fresh linen. His eyes wandered to the child-sized footprints on the shining, hardwood floors. Now he was really itching to explore. He knew these rich kids had to have some good video games.

They reached an open door halfway down the hall, which Mello entered and found a light. Matt followed and looked around at the master bedroom, done up in greys and cobalt blues. The bed was made, but there were some clothes strewn about. Maybe from second thoughts during last minute packing. Mello walked over to a tall dresser and took a framed picture from it.

“Big happy family, hm?” Matt said, walking up behind him. The parents in the picture were middle aged, attractive, and smiling. They were crouched down with their arms around their two children. The boy looked about ten years old and had had his mother’s nose. The little girl was probably about seven and was missing her two front teeth. Her eyes turned into crescents from her smile. Mello snorted,

“No such thing.” he replaced the picture and went into the attached bathroom. “You know these California people. Wife probably pops pills in the evening while the kids are at soccer practice. You know, to make her forget her husband is cheating on her with his assistant.” 

Matt pulled a face and took his goggles off, setting them on the edge of the sink while Mello started taking clothes and stolen hotel towels from their bag. 

“We’ve been in California for a month, you don’t know shit.” he laughed, starting to undress. Mello opened the glass door to the shower and turned on the water.

“Okay, but I’ve watched television before, Matt. I know what I’m talking about.” 

“Doubt it…” Matt mumbled, shedding himself of the last of his clothes. He stood there awkwardly, naked, looking around a stranger’s bathroom while Mello dug through their bag. It occurred to him that neither of them knew shit about family. Matt couldn’t remember his parents at all. He didn’t even know their names and had never cared enough to go searching for them. He didn’t feel the need to hold onto any part of his life before the orphanage like some kids did. A shiver ran up his spine. Matt looked at Mello, who was pulling out some skin care products that he’d had since they were in London. Matt rolled his eyes,

“Come on, it’s cold in here. You can put goop on your face later.” he side-stepped to the shower and stuck his arm in to check the temperature. “You invited me in here, you know. You shouldn’t leave your lover waiting.” Matt batted his eyelashes for effect, but Mello wasn’t even looking. He placed a tin of something on the side of the vanity counter before standing up and undressing. 

“What? You think I asked you in here to screw?” Mello kicked Matt’s pile of discarded clothes out of his way and laid his own on the back of the toilet. “Please. I told you to shower with me because you reek of B.O.” He gently nudged Matt into the shower, following him and closing the door. 

Mello stood directly under the shower head, his shoulders visibly relaxing. Matt waited patiently against the sandstone tile, being teased by the warm drops bouncing off of the other’s shoulders and onto him. He knew Mello needed the shower more than him. Yea, he probably smelled rank, but Mello’s tension ran high when his hair was greasy. He said it made his brain feel scattered. Matt, on the other hand, remembered going a week without bathing when Tales of Symphonia came out. He picked at some dirt under his thumbnail, occasionally glancing up to watch the sweet smelling lather run down Mello’s back and swirl down the drain. 

He walked up behind him and brushed his lips across a notch in his spine, his hands resting on his hips. Mello relaxed a little, leaning his head backwards onto his shoulder. Matt looked down at him, going slightly cross-eyed. Mello looked tired and maybe a little thin. They'd been running for a long time. Running from Winchester to Brighton to London to Los Angeles. Matt wanted to rest in every sense of the word. Unfortunately, "rest" wasn't a word often used in Mello's extensive vocabulary.   
"You need to shave." Mello said decisively, peering up at him. "And wash your hair. With shampoo. Don't you dare use bar soap or body wash or whatever it is you usually do." he straightened up.  
"I always use shampoo..." Matt muttered defensively, moving under the shower head. Mello patted his hip and opened the door to the shower, slipping out to dry off without him.

Matt finished his shower quickly, hoping to go find the video games he knew had to be around. He closed the shower door and scooted past Mello. He was bent over the sink, plucking his eyebrows in the mirror, a pore strip over his nose. Matt dug around their bag for a clean pair of boxers and pulled them on.  
“Hey, find the washing machine and get our clothes in, will you?” Mello asked, glancing at Matt in the mirror.  
“Sure,” he replied. “Are you going to be a while?”

“Matt, I have a month’s worth of skincare to do. Yes, I’m going to be a while.”

“Alright princess, I’m going to go look around.” Mello waved a hand at him in response.

Matt grabbed all their clothes and set off back through the bedroom. He got to the slightly open door when he heard something in the hallway. He stopped dead, his heart racing. Someone was home? A neighbour? The family came back early? He had to warn Mello. Maybe they could sneak out the bedroom window. Matt turned toward the bathroom when something brushed his ankles. Matt jumped and shouted, his voice going up a few octaves. He looked down with a horrified expression to see a fat grey cat circling his legs affectionately.

“What happened?” came Mello’s unconcerned voice. Matt grabbed his chest, trying to slow his breathing.

“They...they have a cat…” There was a pause.

“Well keep it down out there.” Matt rolled his eyes and nudged the cat with his foot. The thing gave a soft meow and waddled away.

Matt left the bedroom, dirty clothes in hand, to find the laundry area. It felt strange walking through an unfamiliar place in just his boxers. He felt like he was doing something wrong, which is exactly what breaking into a house was. He reminded himself that this was just for a night, trying to shake off the guilty feeling. Down the hall from the bedroom, he found what he assumed to be the guest room. It was smaller, with a very made up bed and bare walls. He wondered if that’s where he and Mello would sleep that night. He felt like sleeping in the master bedroom may be crossing a line.

Matt left the hallway and found himself in the kitchen. It had granite counter tops, a massive refrigerator, and a small wine cooler. It was nothing like the industrial kitchen at Whammy’s. It felt different. Matt could imagine the family in the picture sitting around the counter enjoying a meal. Helping clear the dishes. Baking for someone’s birthday. All memories that Matt didn’t have and probably never would. He opened the closet off of the kitchen and found the washer and dryer. He threw their clothes in the washer, making a mental note to put them in the dryer later that night.

Matt didn’t bother going upstairs, knowing that the kid’s rooms must be up there. It didn’t feel right to snoop around a kid’s room, no matter how rich the family was. Instead, he went to the living room. It was very open with soft carpet and leather furniture. While the interior decorating was nice and all, Matt was really concerned about one thing: the Wii that sat on the TV stand. He quickly went over and pulled out the little basket under the stand. He knew it. Filled with games that he hadn’t had a chance to play ever since he’d sold his Wii. He had his eye on Super Smash Brothers Brawl. That one was new. He excitedly turned on the Wii and the TV and slid in the disk.

Matt sat down on the couch, Wiimote in hand, excited to shut his brain off for awhile and just play a game. As he started to play, he heard Mello coming back from the bathroom. He didn’t bother looking over, but could hear him going through the house. Mello had always been heavy footed, but with the tall ceilings, the sound echoed. Matt heard Mello upstairs, opening doors and slamming them shut. He heard him in the kitchen doing the same thing. Matt shook his head and went back to his game, not worried about what his companion was doing.  
\--

\--  
Riiip  
Matt paused his game when he heard a familiar sound in the unfamiliar house. He looked to his right where Mello was snapping off a piece of chocolate between his teeth, a bottle of wine under an arm, and a pill bottle in his free hand. He was wearing lacy women's underwear. Matt had never seen them before. Matt frowned and flipped his fringe out of his eyes.  
"You have chocolate."

"Bravo. A brilliant deduction from one of Winchester's finest." Mello said, his mouth full. He put the bottle of wine on the armchair next to him and started peering at the text on the little orange bottle.

"Dude, you're telling me that I'm going through nicotine withdrawal and you're over here like fucking Willy Wonka?" Matt felt more than a little betrayed. They both agreed that the money they earned doing odd jobs went towards finding a place to stay and not their vices. Mello carefully repackaged the rest of the chocolate, like it was something precious. He laid it on the coffee table and started working on opening the pill bottle.

"Shut up, at least my habits aren't destroying me." The bottle opened with a rattle; Mello popped a hip and dumped a few pills in his hand. "My body's a temple." He downed the pills dry and sat in the armchair, taking the stopper out of the wine bottle.

“What even were those?” Matt asked carefully. Mello took a swig from the bottle before he answered, 

“Valium. Told you the wife popped pills.” he tapped the side of his nose and pointed at Matt who rolled his eyes.

“She probably actually needs them, and here you are abusing them.”

“I just need to unwind for tonight...just. Let me have tonight.” he reached for the bottle and took a bigger drink.  
\--  
\--  
“Matt.”

“Mhm.”

“I bet he got fat.” Matt paused at the choose your character screen to glance over at Mello. He was slid down in the armchair, the empty bottle of wine at his feet. His eyes were glazed over and his hands were folded on his bare chest. 

“Who got fat?”

“Near. D’you reckon he got fat?” Mello’s speech was slurred and slow. He’d been complaining about Near for half an hour, becoming increasingly more spacy as the pills kicked in. “Y’know from being waited on hand and foot fuckin’ silver spoon in his mouth while trying to catch Kira.” he did air quotes on the last two words. Matt smiled at the thought,

“I’ve never seen Near eat anything. I bet he drinks Paediasure.” Mello let out a bark of a laugh that dissolved into honest-to-God giggles. Matt shook his head and went back to his game,

“You’re really fucked up, aren’t you?”

“You know me.”

“Unfortunately.”

They sat in silence for awhile, the only sounds coming from the TV and the soft clicks of the controller. Mat was getting tired, but knew he should stay up to watch over Mello. That in itself was a full time job. Mello, who spoke four languages and was taking college level physics by age 13. Mello who was sitting high as a kite next to an empty bottle of wine. Matt didn’t like to think that they were worse off now. Just different.

Matt heard Mello unsticking himself from the leather chair. He paused his game and watched him walk over on unsteady legs in those lacy underwear. Mello stood in front of him. Matt leaned in and kissed him softly just above his bellybutton. Mello hummed in content. He slid down to straddle Matt’s lap.

“Kill me before I turn 30. I don’t want to end up like...all this.” he waved his hand, gesturing to their surroundings. Matt could smell the alcohol on his breath. 

“I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that.” Matt grunted. “Get up. Bedtime.” Mello pouted but stood up.

“Matt…” he drew his name out slowly. “I want your dick in my mouth…” Matt snorted and slapped him playfully on the ass. 

“You don’t know what you want.” He turned off the Wii and stood up, putting his arm around Mello’s waist.

“Can we sleep in the big bedroom?” Mello leaned against him heavily. Matt flipped off the lights.

“Damn you’re being so whiny...” he mumbled. “Keep it up and you’ll end up in the daughter’s room.” Matt led them down the hall to the guest bedroom. He didn’t bother turning on the light, just walked Mello over to the bed.

“Lie down and get comfy.”

“Are you going to stay?” Mello asked with a yawn, sliding under the comforter. He outright moaned when his head hit the pillow. “This bed’s so nice...you should stay…”

“Shh, I’ll stay, Mel, I--shit,” he swore. “I have to get our clothes out of the washer. I’ll be right back.”

Mello pouted for a second time, but didn’t protest. Matt quickly left the room, pushing his goggles up to navigate in the dark. He refound the laundry closet and threw their clothes into the dryer. Though he wasn’t gone long, when he returned, Mello was fast asleep. Matt put his goggles on the nightstand and crawled into the bed. He sighed; he missed sleeping in an actual bed. He huddled close to Mello, skin to skin. Usually he had trouble falling asleep in new places, but he could tell that wouldn’t be the case. For the first time in a long time, Matt felt safe and clean and relaxed. He knew in the morning things would change and be back to what they considered normal. Back on the run until something new comes along. But, for now, he had a bed, he had Mello, he had this night. He kissed Mello’s shoulder and shut his eyes.


End file.
